Nachshon Draiman, How Wind Energy In Los Angeles Helps The Environment

[Blogger Man]

Nachshon Draiman, How Wind Energy In Los Angeles Helps The Environment

 In 2006, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in an alliance with General Electric, went ahead in constructing a 120 megawatt wind farm, named the Pine Tree Wind Project. It is hoped that it will one day satisfy about twenty percent of the utility's energy demands.

During the year 2004, wind energy in the entire state of California produced more than 4,200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, approximately 1.5 percent of all electricity generated. About 95 percent of all of the state's wind generating apparatus is located in three areas: Altamont Pass, San Gorgonio and Tehachapi.

Wind power plants are comprised of turbines that take advantage of the energy in wind motion to create mechanical energy, which is then changed into electrical energy. Wind turbines can be placed near farms, homes and businesses in breezy locations, such as along the West coast. Turbines are deployable in areas where it isn't cost-efficient to run power lines.

The parts of a wind farm include turbines, which feed through an underground power station and a connection from the farm to the closest power grid. Wind power is more accessible in certain seasons because the climate affects wind speed. In Los Angeles, speeds are greatest in the sweltering summer period. An estimated three-fourths of all yearly wind energy is generated during the spring and summer.

Though power created by older wind turbines is not as cost effective as some other forms of energy generation, new generation wind turbine designs promise to be able to compete with power costs from nuclear and coal plants.

Some of the advantages in utilizing wind energy include: replacement of polluting conventional power plants; no pollution in the air, soil or water; it is completely renewable; the installment process is relatively swift; and energy production not affected by gas and oil price increases.

However, there are some issues with wind power, such as: the necessary use of large areas of land, although simultaneous land uses are available for such endeavors as agriculture and cattle grazing. Other potential problems are that it can cause erosion in desert areas, and disturb wildlife habitats.

Matt Paolini is an energy writer} for CityBook.com, the family-safe online yellow pages, which carries an extensive directory on Los Angeles waste management.

---

Be a better friend, newshound, and 
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.